Effects of Crops, Soil Types and Irrigation Methods on Digestion Capacity of Biogas Slurry

In the research, pot experiment and field testing were conducted to study the effect of different crops, soil types, and irrigation modes on biogas slurry diges- tions. The results showed that when silage maize, sweet sorghum and Chinese cabbage were planted in purple soils, the quantities of digested biogas slurry were of 57, 157.5, and 34.5 t/hm2, respectively, while the quantities of digested biogas slurry were 70.5, 157.5 and 40.5 t/hm2 in yellow soils. Besides, the digested biogas slurries reached 36 and 27 t/hm2 as per flood irrigation and sprinkling irrigation when Chinese cabbages were planted in yellow soils. The research indicated crop variety, soil type, and irrigation method all have effects on farmland digestion of biogas slurry.

Biogas by two-stage microbial anaerobic and semi-continuous digestion of Chinese cabbage waste

Anaerobic digestion of Chinese cabbage waste was investigated through a pilot-scale two-stage digester at a mesophilic temperature of 37 ℃. In the acidification digester, the main product was acetic acid, with the maxi- mum concentration of 4289 mg·L^-1 on the fourth day, accounting for 50.32% of total volatile fatty acids. The oxidation reduction potential （ORP） and NH^＋-N level decreased gradually with hydraulic retention time （HRT） of acidification. In the second digestion phase, the maximum methanogenic bacterial concentration reached 9.6 × 10^10ml^-1 at the organic loading rate （OLR） of 3.5-4 kg VS·m^-3, with corresponding HRT of 12-16 days. Accordingly, the optimal biogas production was 0.62 m^3· （kg VS）^-1, with methane content of 65%-68%;. ORP and NH4^＋-N levels in the methanizer remained between -500 and -560 mV and 2000-4500mg· L^-1, respec- tively. Methanococcus and Methanosarcina served as the main methanogens in the anaerobic digester.

Effect of Biogas Digested Liquid on CH_4 and N_2O Flux in Paddy Ecosystem

Biogas production generates digested slurry as a byproduct. It can be used as a fertilizer especially after its conversion into digested liquid. A pot based study was conducted in order to evaluate the effect of the application of digested liquid on CH4 and N2O flux, and plant biomass in paddy. Analysis revealed that digested liquid treated soils released more CH4 compared to ammonium sulphate and the control. Ammonium sulphate treated soil emitted the highest N20 whereas digested liquid application decreased its emission significantly. Further, the cumulative emission over 101 d of the experiment was found to be higher for CHa （16.9 to 29.9 g m^-2） compared to N20 （-49.3 to 18.9 mg m^-2） for all treatments. Digested liquid application had positive impact on plant variables such as panicle number and weight of panicles. This study suggests that digested liquid application significantly decrease N20 emission and increase CH4 emission possibly due to affecting the availability of organic C in the soil to microbial activity for methanogenesis. Another possibility for enhancing CH4 emission by following biogas digested liquid could be attributed to the increase in plant biomass.

Small-Scale Household Biogas Digesters as a Viable Option for Energy Recovery and Global Warming Mitigation--Vietnam Case Study

Biogas from livestock waste is considered as clean and renewable energy in Vietnam. In the last 20 years, in rural and remote areas of Vietnam, there has been a significant increase of small-scale household biogas digesters. Biogas digesters create the benefits of replacing energy and mitigation of climate change caused by greenhouse gas （GHG） emission and deforestation for firewood and charcoal. Livestock waste produces approximately 85 million tonnes every year and continues to increase, meaning there are huge feedstocks for biogas digesters to meet the energy demands in households. However, there are also many constraints on the development programme for small-scale household biogas digester. In Vietnam, the socio-economic situation and the lack of a sustainable energy policy for biogas from livestock sector are hindering the growth of the biogas digester industry. Government subsidies are needed to encourage farmers to participate. This paper will be helpful not only for the sustainable development of household biogas in Vietnam, but also for the developing program of biogas generation in developing countries with similar agricultural economies to Vietnam.

Design Considerations of a Flexible Biogas Digester System for Use in Rural Communities of Developing Countries

Several challenges are associated with the development, adoption and deployment of biogas digesters in developing countries. Amongst these challenges is a comprehensive and systematic procedure for the design of digesters suitable for rural communities. This paper proposes the Flexible Biogas Digester System (FBDS) as a viable option for rural communities in developing countries and provides a detailed step-by-step procedure for its design. The biogas production process is a function of the digester operating factors which may be grouped into physical, process and performance parameters. The physical design parameters include the digester volume, the volume of the biogas storage tank, and the volume of the installation pit. The process parameters include total solid content of the slurry (TS), organic loading rate (OLR), digester operating temperatures, pH of the slurry inside the digester. The performance parameters include biogas production rate, biogas productivity and biogas quality. The Net Present Value and the Levelised Cost of Energy are presented for simple economic evaluation of the FBDS.

Biogas and its opportunities——A review

Biogas production is a well-established technology primarily for the generation of renewable energy and also for the valorization of organic residues. Biogas is the end product of a biological mediated process, the so called anaerobic digestion, in which different microorganisms, follow diverse metabolic pathways to decompose the organic matter. The process has been known since ancient times and was widely applied at domestic households providing heat and power for hundreds of years. Nowadays, the biogas sector is rapidly growing and novel achievements create the foundation for constituting biogas plants as advanced bioenergy factories. In this context, the biogas plants are the basis of a circular economy concept targeting nutrients recycling, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and biorefinery purposes. This review summarizes the current state-of-the-art and presents future perspectives related to the anaerobic digestion process for biogas production. Moreover, a historical retrospective of biogas sector from the early years of its development till its recent advancements gives an outlook of the opportunities that are opening up for process optimisation.

Feasibility of housefly larvae-mediated vermicomposting for recycling food waste added digestate as additive

The development of methods for the efficient treatment and application of food waste digestate is an important research goal.Vermicomposting via housefly larvae is an efficient way to reduce food waste and achieve its valorization,however,studies on the application and performance of digestate in vermicomposting are rarely.The present study aimed to investigate the feasibility of the co-treatment of food waste and digestate as an additive via larvae.Restaurant food waste(RFW)and household food waste(HFW)were selected to assess the effects of waste type on vermicomposting performance and larval quality.Waste reduction rates of 50.9%–57.8%were observed in the vermicomposting of food waste mixed with digestate at a ratio of 25%,which were slightly lower than those for treatments without the addition of digestate(62.8%–65.9%).The addition of digestate increased the germination index,with a maximum value of 82%in the RFW treatments with 25%digestate,and decreased the respiration activity,with a minimum value of 30 mg-O_(2)/g-TS.The larval productivity of 13.9%in the RFW treatment system with a digestate rate of 25%was lower that without digestate(19.5%).Materials balance shows that larval biomass and metabolic equivalent had decreasing trends as the amount of digestate increased and HFW vermicomposting exhibited lower bioconversion efficiency than that of RFW treatment system regardless of the addition of digestate.These results suggest that mixing digestate at a low ratio(25%)during vermicomposting of foodwaste especially RFW could lead to considerable larval biomass and generate relatively stable residues.

An investigation of the effects of hydrochar application rate on soil amelioration and plant growth in three diverse soils

The hydrothermal carbonization(HTC)of biogas digestate alters the raw materials inherent characteristics to produce a carbon(C)-rich hydrochar(HC),with an improved suitability for soil amelioration.Numerous studies report conflicting impacts of various HC application rates on soil properties and plant growth.In this study,the influence of HC application rate on soil improvement and plant growth aspects was investigated in three diverse soils(Chernozem,Podzol,and Gleysol).Pot trials were conducted in which all soils were amended with 5,10,20 and 30%(w/w)HC in quintuplicate,with two controls of pure soil(with and without plants,respectively)also included.Prior to potting,soil samples were collected from all HC-amended soils and controls and analyzed for soil pH,plant available nutrients(PO4-P and K),and microbial activity using standard laboratory and statistical methods.Immediately after potting,a 6-week seed germination experiment using Chinese cabbage was conducted to determine germination success,followed by a plant growth experiment of equal duration and plant species to determine biomass success.At the end of the study(after a total plant growth period of 12 weeks),each pot was sampled and comparatively analyzed for the same soil properties as at the beginning of the study.Soil pH shifted toward the pH of the HC(6.6)in all soils over the course of the study,but was most expressed in the 20%and 30%application rates,confirming the well-documented liming effect of HC.The addition of HC increased the PO4-P and K contents,particularly with 20%and 30%HC amendments.These results are proposedly due to the large labile C fraction of the HC,which is easily degradable by microorganisms.The rapid decomposition of this C fraction prompted the quick release of the HCs inherently high PO4-P and K content into the soil,and in turn,further stimulated microbial activity,until this fraction was essentially depleted.HC addition did not inhibit seed germination at any rate,presumably due to a lack of phytotoxic compounds in the HC from aging and microbial processes,and furthermore,showed no significant impact(positive or negative)on plant growth in any soil,despite improved soil conditions.In conclusion,although less pronounced,soil improvements were still achievable and maintainable at lower application rates(5%and 10%),whereas higher rates did not ensure greater benefits for plant growth.While the addition of high rates of HC did not detrimentally effect soil quality or plant growth,it could lead to leaching if the nutrient supply exceeds plant requirements and the soil’s nutrient retention capacity.Therefore,this study validates the previous study in the effectiveness of the biogas digestate HC for soil amelioration and suggests that smaller regularly repeated HC applications may be recommendable for soil improvement.